See To It That She Plays
by Midoriri
Summary: A Kakurenbo story. A yougn girl is forced to play the game of Otokoyo, but why? the real truth is more creepy than she could have ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

This is based on weird dream I had one night, so please don't blame me on this weird story.

It was dark when the final kids arrived. Pipes and shadows ran all over the place, illuminated by the neon lights of the city. Two girls, one taller than the other by a good foot, entered through the opening. One of them had long dark hair and white fox mask with black markings. The other was the taller of the two, and had her brown hair tied up into two buns at either side of her head, and her face was hidden by a fox mask like the other girl. Hers, however, had yellow and red markings.

"Come on, kid," said the taller one. "Let's go."

The smaller of the two, Sadako, backed away nervously. "No, I…I changed my mind. I don't want to play!" She turned around and tried to flee. The taller girl grabbed her by the collar of her long kimono.

"No way, little girl! We're gonna play Otokoyo, and we're gonna win the game!"

A nearby boy in red and blue, also wearing a mask, lifted his head up. "But Meimi, didn't you hear? The demons take the kids away…"

"You're a moron, Kiechi," yelled another girl in white. "The demons aren't even real."

"Yes they are," replied Kiechi. "My friend played this game once, and he never came back!"

"Oh, yeah," taunted Meimi. "Then why don't you go on home to your mommy?" She turned to Sadako. "You can go too, little girl, if you changed you mind about playing…"

Sadako looked up. "I can't go home…" she whispered. "I live in a foster home…"

Meimi jerked her head back in shock. "And these guys let you go like this?"

Sadako shrugged her thin shoulders. "Well, my foster mother said I was found with a note that said 'See to it that Sadako plays.' I have to play the game."

Kiechi gulped loudly. "Your own parents condemned you to death!" he cried. "They must have hated you!"

"They didn't!" insisted Sadako. She looked away, ashamed. _What if my parents did hate me?_

A boy in black with a red and white mask caught her eye. He was looking at her very intensely. Sadako gulped and looked away. The older girl caught this. "Hey, maybe he likes you!"

"No he doesn't!" Sadako yelled. "Does he?"

There was a sudden noise as the heavy doors at the end of the large room began to swing open slowly. All the kids froze, watching the doors open, allowing them passage into the game.

Meimi laughed, grabbing Sadako by the collar. "Come on, kid, I'll protect you from any demons!"

As the kids all walked inside, Sadako looked around to count all the children. The boy in the back was still standing there, watching her. Sadako turned away to count the other kids. "Hey…." She said.

"_You need seven kids to platy the game."_

"Hey, um…taller girl," she said.

"Meimi."

"Meimi, there are nine kids in here…"

"Great, the more, the longer the game can go on!"

"But-!" Sadako was not allowed to say any more, as Meimi dragged her through the doors.

**PBPBPBPBPBP**

Meimi and Sadako walked together down a neon-illuminated passageway, Meimi leading the way. "So, kid."

"My name is Sadako."

Meimi laughed harshly. "You mean like the girl from the movie? What are you, evil or something?"

"I don't know…"

The whole passageway began to rumble and shake. Sadako yelped as she was pitched forward, grabbing the wall for support. Dust fell from the ceiling, lightly coating the two girls.

Meimi looked up. "Geez! What the hell was that?"

Sadako swallowed. "Maybe…maybe it was demon!"

"You sound like such a little baby, Sadako!"

**PBPBPBPBPBP**

Kiechi walked with the girl in white, looking around nervously. "I think that was demon just now…" he whimpered pathetically.

The girl in white scoffed. "Wuss. I can't believe you're my brother."

"Come on, Asuka! We shouldn't have come here in the first place. Mom and Dad will be worried…"

"Mom and Dad? Listen, we're going to win the game, and we'll be back home before the morning."

"But, Asuka, no one has ever left the game of Otokoyo before. That's because the demons take them away and they never come back!"

"That's just a lie to keep us kids from playing the game. Now shut up and listen for the other players!"

Kiechi sighed and walked on, following his sister, then he looked up and gasped. "ASUKA, LOOK!"

Asuka yelped and followed his gaze. The two were looking directly at a large statue with four arms and a wheel on his back. Asuka sighed and smacked her brother in the head. "You idiot! Don't scare me! It's just a psych-out thing, like in haunted houses at the carnival."

Kiechi swallowed, looking right at the statue before running after his sister. "Wait up, Asuka."

Neither of them noticed that the statue began to move.

**PBPBPBPBPBP**

Three kids ran into the building nearby. The triplet boys and girl glanced around quickly, making sure they could not be seen. The girl swallowed, looking at her brothers. "Are they gone?"

The boys nodded. They had all barely escaped form the twin demons that had began to chase after them. One of the boys sighed, collapsing against the wall. "We shouldn't have come here…" he panted.

"I want to go home," the other agreed.

Before the other could say anything, they all heard a loud rumbling. The girl rushed to the window, squatting down to avoid being seen, and peeked out the window. A large demon, walking on all fours, with a bug nose, was shuffling down the street.

The girl gasped, ducking down. "It's a demon!"

Her brothers paled behind their masks. The sister dropped to her hands and knees, and began to crawl toward the far wall. "You guys over here-HEY!"

The two brothers shoved her aside in their attempt to flee the building. "RUN!" they yelled in unison.

"You guys! Bram! Alphonse! Stop!" The girl slowly sat up into a sitting position. "Ow…"

She felt a gust of hot breath against the back of her neck. Trembling, she slowly turned around, coming face-to-face with the demon. "Oh, God…"

The demon lifted his head and roared, charging toward her.

Her scream echoed down the street.

**PBPBPBPBPBP**

The two boys collapsed onto the ground, panting in exhaustion. "Where did…where did Ali go off to?"

"I dunno…but I _really_ wish we never came to play this game!"

Bram heard a noise and straightened up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Alphonse stopped, stiffened. A noise like wheels was echoing down the street.

Bram looked to where it was coming from. Two demons, one riding a strange device on wheels resembling a cannon, the other pulling it, were charging down the street.

Bram grabbed his brother by the hand. "Run, Alphonse!"

The two brothers rushed down the passageways, trying to make enough sense of the maze to escape. "I think we should go this way!" cried Alphonse, pointing to the left.

"Are you sure?"

"No."

Alphonse pulled Bram down the corridor, and stopped dead in his tracks. "Aw, crap!"

Right in front of him was one of the twin demons that they had seen. "Wrong turn," whimpered one of the triplets.

"You think?"

The other twin demon came up from behind them. The boys never saw him coming.

**PBPBPBPBPBP**

Meimi and Sadako walked down the corridor when Sadako stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"Pfft. Hear what? You're not getting all paranoid on me, are you?"

"No, I just heard something…"

"_Sadako…Sadako…"_

"There it was again!"

"Yeah right…"

"I heard it! Really!"

"You're just trying to psych me out-wait!" Meimi held up a hand, and stood a little ways behind Sadako. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, someone was calling my name!"

"Not that. Listen." Sadako and Meimi stood stark-still, listening for what Meimi had heard. Sure enough, Sadako could hear the faint sound of footsteps. A shadow appeared on the wall and floor in front of them.

Meimi stepped back behind Sadako, nervous and trembling. "Every girl for herself," she squeaked.

The boy in black stepped forward. Meimi gasped and stepped to face him.

"You idiot!" she screamed. "You shouldn't scare us like this!"

Sadako rushed forward. "Meimi, leave him alone!" She looked at the boy, noticed he was still eyeing her intently. "Okay…"

The boy reached out, grabbing Sadako's hand, jerking his head toward one direction. Sadako tried to keep up with him as he began to run down the way he had come. Meimi hurried to catch up. "Don't leave me here, you lovebirds!"

TBC

Next chapter is the final one.


	2. Chapter 2

Sadako, Meimi and the boy in black continued down the passageway. Sadako looked at the back of the boy's head. There was something familiar about him…

"Hey, Ring-chick," barked Meimi. "Why's your mask all funny-looking again?"

Sadako swore she saw the boy stiffen at the term "Ring-chick" but ignored it. Surely she imagined it… "Well, my parents say it was next to me. That's all."

"So why didn't they throw it away like a sane parent?"

"They _tried_, Meimi. But Foster-Mom said that every time she tried to throw it out, it ended up right back in the hallway closet, next to the box of my old clothes. Once, Foster-Dad tried to burn it, but it jumped right back out at him, not a singe on it at all."

"Creepy."

Sadako didn't hear Meimi. She was noticing the boy in black nodding a little when she explained what happened when the mask was thrown out.

"Hey, why do you call them 'Foster-Mom' and stuff?"

"Because my parents found me, and they take every single opportunity to tell me that I'm not theirs. I never really liked them…and besides which, I'm disfigured. My face is a monster face. No one would want a girl with this face."

"Ha! Got that right, Ring-Chick…"

The boy in black tightened his grip on Sadako's hand for a moment.

_"Sadako, Sadako, Sadako…"_

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

The boy in red and blue raced down the maze, clutching his Asuka's hand, desperately trying to get ahead of the demon-statue. The demon charged toward them, eyes glowing, growling angrily.

"Kiechi…we've gotta get away!"

"I know!" Kiechi stopped, seeing a fork in the passageway. He looked one direction and pushed his sister in the other. "You go that way!"

"What?" She stumbled a few steps, looking back. Kiechi dashed down the hallway, the demon following him.

"Please, Asuka! RUN!"

Kiechi's sister watched in horror as her brother fell to the ground, scraping his knees. The demon pounced on him, Kiechi's scream resounding in his sister's ears.

She froze, taking a tentative step forward. "Kiechi?" she whispered. "Kiechi, answer me!"

The demon turned round slowly, clutching Kiechi's lifeless body in his hand. Kiechi dangled there, like a fish on a hook. He didn't say a word.

"Kiechi!" His sister gasped. She saw his arm twitch a little, his foot swing slowly from side to side. She heard a deep inhale of breath, and he tried to call out to her.

"Big….s-s-sis….."

"Kiechi!"

No answer.

His sister crouched, and charged forward, toward the demon and her brother's lifeless body, screaming his name. "KIECHIII!" She roared at the demon, "YOU PUT DOWN MY BABY BROTHER!"

The demon regarded the screaming girl, then reached out to snatch her. She couldn't stop in time, and ran right into his hand.

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

One lone boy ran down the hall, his white and brown mask nearly slipping off his face. He reached a dead-end and looked left and right. A noise behind him caught his attention, and he whirled around in horror. A large demon on all fours with a large nose fro sniffing out the players was ambling slowly towards him. He gasped and ran for his life, taking every turn he could find, until…

SMACK!

The boy, named Sai, fell down, looking up at the taller girl in front of him.

"Hey!" she yelled, turning to look at him. "Watch it!"

Sai scrambled to his feet, taking notice of the players. Other than him, there were three. He hadn't expected to see three at once, nor did he expect to see a boy in black clutching the hand of the smaller girl.

"We…gotta get out of here…" he panted. "There's a demon coming! He'll be here soon!"

"What?" The younger took a step back, looking at the tall girl. "I told you the demons would come get us. I told you they were real!"

The taller girl recoiled when the smaller girl touched her, shoving her away. "Sadako, get off me!"

The boy in black caught Sadako as she fell from the force of Meimi's shove, looking at her with what could have been contempt, but you could not tell, since his mask hid his features.

Sai gulped. "Please, we have to get out of here now!"

Sadako nodded. "I told you so," she said to Meimi.

"Shut up, Sadako!"

The boy in black moved forward, fixing his masked gaze on the older girl. Sadako moved a little behind him, nervously. "Come on, you three. We've got to get out of here."

Sai sighed in relief. "Finally, someone believes me!" He darted ahead of the group, pointing forward. "I think we might be safe in there!"

Sai charged forward, praying to God he might survive this game. The sound of heavy footfalls behind him told him that the other three kids were following close behind.

A large, vacant house appeared as they got closer. It was rotting, and dark inside, the windows missing their glass panes, only a few planks across the empty spaces. Sai inhaled deeply and put a burst of speed into his legs, willing them to move faster.

He ran inside and slid into the shadows to hide, the other children appearing moments later. They sat on the floor, their backs against the wall, trying to catch their breaths.

Sadako turned her head to look around, something catching her eye. A worn, yellowing poster was on the wall next to them. She stood up, walking slowly to the poster, putting her face up close to inspect it.

Meimi noticed the movement. "H-Hey, Ring-chick…what're-?"

"Shh. Look at this…" Sadako motioned the others over to the poster. Sai crept closer to look. Meimi just rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh, for the love of, it's _just a poster!_"

"Not quite…look." Sadako pointed to one of the circles on the poster. There were five circles arranged in a pattern, each overlapping the other a little bit, a sketch inside each one. Sadako read the words on each circle. "This one's called 'Liver-Taker', and then there's 'Child-taker', 'Oil-Taker', and 'Blood-Taker'. They all look…"

"Like demons?" volunteered Meimi, creeping up behind them. Sadako shook her head slightly.

"Not that…well, they _do_ look like demons, but they also look…familiar…"

The boy in black moved closer to look at the poster, and put a hand on Sadako's shoulder. Sadako turned around; staring at the boy's masked face. The boy inclined his head slightly and tugged on her hand.

Sadako paused, but stiffened once she heard a shuffling noise close-by. Meimi looked around quickly. "What was that?"

Sai moved closer to the window, looking out. He gasped, jerking back into the shadows. A large demon with four arms, and a wheel on his back was ambling towards the hiding place.

Sai covered his mouth, frantically gesturing toward the window. "It's a demon!" he whispered loudly.

Meimi laughed, walking into the light. "You baby!" she laughed cruelly. "There is no demon! You're just trying to scare the hell out of us so-"She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, shaking like a leaf in a winter wind. The demon was right in front of her, baring his teeth at her in a creepy grin. Meimi swallowed a scream, and shrank backwards, trying to keep from wetting herself.

Sai shoved her aside, bolting away, Sadako and the boy in black right behind him. "EVERYONE RUN!"

Meimi didn't need telling twice. She bolted, shoving anyone who got in her way.

Sadako fell down as Meimi shoved her, her face hitting the pavement, her mask crackling slightly. She looked up, revealing a hair-thin crack down the center of her mask.

She turned around, expecting the demon to jump out and snatch her at any moment, but nothing happened. The demon merely crouched in place, growling softly, not making a move at all, except to rock back and forth slightly.

The boy in black turned around and tugged her up by her hand, urging her to stand up. Sadako gripped his hand tightly and ran forward, the demon behind her not moving a muscle.

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

Sadako, Sai, Meimi, and the boy in black moved along a bridge connecting two building together. Sai gasped, looking up at the large building at the other end of the bridge. "It's some sort of tower…" he gasped in awe.

Meimi moved forward slightly. "Do you think it's a landmark for the exit?"

"Or maybe," breathed Sadako, "Maybe it's where all the other players are being held. That could be why no one has ever come out…"

Meimi held her head up high and resumed her cocky strut. "Whatever the hell it is, let's go. We can get out of here."

Sai started to follow her. Sadako moved her foot to take a step, but froze. "Wait a minute!" she yelled.

The other two didn't listen. Instead, they started to jog.

Sadako ran forward, separating her hand from the boy's hand. "Stop!" she screamed. She ran forward a little ways, but her feet got tangled up somehow and she tripped, crashing to the ground and scraping her hands. She looked up, and yelled.

"**_There's a demon up there!"_**

"What?" Sai and Meimi stopped their running and looked where Sadako was pointing.

An enormous demon, white in color with bulging eyes and as many arms as a spider, was leaning out from the tower, leering at the kids hungrily. It leaned back, and then leapt forward, arms-stretched.

Meimi and Sai screamed and ran to where they were before. They ran to Sadako and kept right on running. Sadako lay there, transfixed, as the demon ran right toward her.

Then, miraculously, it swerved around her and ran for her companions. Sadako whirled around, scrambling to her feet, unable to move as the demon pounced on one of her new friends.

Sai screamed in fear as the demon lunged onto his back, sending the two of them to the ground.

Sadako gasped, shuddering as she saw the demon stand up, shifting his bulbous eyes toward her, Sai's lifeless form on the ground in front of him.

Meimi screamed and ran back toward Sadako, pushing her in front of her, using her as a human shield. "Don't come any closer!"

The boy in black moved forward slowly, standing in front of the demon. Sadako and Meimi recoiled. Meimi growled. "You _bastard!_" she hissed. "You're on _their _side, aren't you!"

The boy didn't say a word. He only put his hand out and seized Sadako by the shoulder, pulling her toward him. Sadako stumbled forward, calling for Meimi's help.

"Meimi! MEIMI!"

"I'm not moving…" whispered Meimi.

The boy held Sadako against his chest, stroking her hair, his masked face looking at hers.

Meimi gulped. "Okay, okay, you've got your girl…Mummy King got friend…"

Sadako shivered, then all went black.

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

_"Sadko...Sada-ko…"_

Sadako groaned, sitting upright, putting a hand on her forehead. Meimi was next to her, regaining consciousness. "What just happened there, Ring-Chick?"

"One…Two…"

Sadako stood up. "Do you hear that, Meimi?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen…"

"Three….Four…"

Meimi nodded. "Yeah, yeah I hear someone counting…"

"Five…Six…Seven…"

The girls turned to where they believed the counting was coming from. The boy in black was against a pillar, his face in his arms. "Ei-ght…"

Meimi and Sadako stared his way. Meimi moved behind the younger girl. "I think he's gone bonkers," she whispered.

Sadako didn't say a word. She was transfixed, listening to his counting…

"Ni-ine…Te-en…Ready or not?"

Sadako gulped. "You…you are…" she whispered.

The boy turned around, staring at the two girls with his face tilted slightly upward. "Here I come, Sadako…"

Meimi gulped. "He knows you…"

Sadako didn't answer. "I…swear I've met him…"

The boy shuffled forward, still looking skyward. "Sadako…Sadako…Sadako!"

Meimi gulped, shrinking. Sadako looked around, seeing the other demons arriving at the tower.

Meimi yelped. "We're stuck here…"

"Meimi, look."

Sadako was pointing upward, toward the large tower. She saw each and every one of the other kids inside strange half-tubes, wires connecting them to the devices. A large battery-thing was attached to their fronts. Each one was glowing a yellow, pulsating glow.

"Sadako…Sadako…"

Sadako looked around as light began to illuminate the town. The neon lights and signs were coming to life, shining their multi-colored glow onto the bridge and the rest of the city.

The boy's laughter alerted the two girls. He was looking right at them, laughing louder and louder as the seconds passed. Then his face split open.

The mask opened into several pieces, rearranging themselves to form a new mask entirely. The boy grew taller, his arms getting more muscular, and claws extending from the fingertips.

He looked at the two girls, with a face that clearly belonged on a demon's face.

Sadako gasped. "He's on the poster!"

The demon walked forward, extending his hand for the girls. Meimi shrank back nervously, but the demon wasn't interested in her. He grabbed Sadako, and pulled her forward, gripping her by the arms, pinning them to her sides, looking into her masked face.

Sadako didn't react.

"_Sadako…"_

The other demons moved in closer, forming a tight circle around the three.

The demon holding Sadako leaned back, facing the other demons. "Sadako," he rasped.

The other demons began chanting her name quietly amongst themselves.

Meimi gulped. "What?"

"_Sadako's home…"_

Meimi gasped now, taking a step back. "Sadako, get out of there now!"

Sadako didn't respond. She was staring as if hypnotized at each demon in turn. She looked at first the one that took Sai, then another one, then one with a large nose, then the twins, then back to her "captor". She swallowed, blinking as recognition invaded her brain. "Father?"

Meimi took another step back. "WHAT?"

"Father…?" Sadako asked the demon. In response, the demon tightened his grip on her arms.

Sadako lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the demon. "Father!"

The other demons moved closer still, chanting Sadako's name. Sadako looked up, and faced Meimi.

Meimi swallowed another scream. Sadako's mask had fallen off, and her face was black in color, with glowing yellow eyes. Fangs protruded from her mouth, which was turned up in a cruel grin.

"Meimi," she said, her voice gravelly and deep. "This is my family! I've found them!" she cried.

She stepped closer to Meimi, who backed away in horror. "Aren't you _happy_ for me, my friend? Isn't this _great? _I've found my family," she continued, eyes glowing even brighter, "And they found me. But better still, _they have winner!_"

The demon that Sadako had called "father" removed his mask, stepping forward toward Meimi. He shoved the mask toward her face. "We've gotten our little demon back, and you've won the game of Otokoyo..." he said.

Sadako laughed, against the spider-like demon. "_Now…you're it!_"

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

**Several years later…**

**PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB**

Two kids, a boy and a girl, were leaning forward, inspecting a poster on the wall. "It looks like a buncha demons…" said the boy.

"Yeah, there are six of them," replied the girl.

She was right. In the center of the poster, inside the middle circle, were two demons, one tall, one smaller, a male and a female. The text at the bottom of the circle read: _Oni and oni-chan..._


End file.
